Postdoctoral position at University of Kentucky

Applications are invited for a postdoctoral research position focusing on the
formation of emission lines in a wide range of astronomical objects, including
Active Galactic Nuclei, Starburst galaxies, optical filaments in cool-core
galaxy clusters, H II regions, and planetary nebulae.

The project centers on development and application of the open source plasma
simulation code Cloudy
(www.nublado.org). Cloudy is one of the more widely used
theory codes in astrophysics, with roughly 200 papers citing its documentation
each year. By improving our simulations of the way matter emits light, we can
understand what the observed spectrum tells us about very distant objects.

Methods already developed by the dense plasma / magnetic fusion communities,
especially the ADAS project, will be adopted for astronomical use. Despite the
fact that devices such as Tokamaks are surprisingly similar to gas accreting
near a black hole, there has been little communication between laboratory plasma
physicists and astrophysicists. Collaborations with experts will result in
rapid improvements in simulations of emission from distant galaxies and AGN.

The ideal candidate would have knowledge of atomic physics, spectral line
formation in astronomical sources, numerical methods, and development of a large
C++ codebase. We would, however, encourage applications from candidates with
expertise in one or more of these areas, balanced by enthusiasm to learn the
others.

This position is made possible by a grant from the National Science Foundation
to the University of Kentucky, Gary Ferland, PI. The post will be based in
Lexington, with the expectation of extended visits to the United Kingdom to work
with collaborators there. Successful candidates should have a PhD or
equivalent. The appointment is initially for one year but may be renewed up to
three years, depending on progress and availability of funding.

Applications should include a CV, publications list, and a brief statement
outlining previous research. All should be sent in pdf format to
by October 1, 2014, together with the names of three
people to contact for reference letters.